The King's Questioner

by Nikki Katz

  CHAPTER

  8

  A loud bang startled Kalen awake, and he jumped out of the hammock. Pale light flooded the room through the two portholes set high on the outer wall. Another knock sounded.

  “Coming.” He pushed his arms through the sleeves on his shirt and buttoned it up the front. His gloves were tucked in the pocket of his coat, which hung on a hook on the wall. He grabbed them but left the garment itself.

  He opened the door just as the boat swayed, and he nearly fell into Cirrus. The prince looked casually effortless and well-rested, as always. His auburn hair was darkened with water and raked back from his brown eyes and freckled face. “We’ve anchored.”

  “Where did you sleep?” Kalen asked as he climbed the steps behind Cirrus.

  “Up here. No way am I sleeping below.”

  The sky was an angry gray, and the sea frothed beneath it. The wind tugged at Kalen’s hair as he made his way over to the small silver ball that was Luna. They had attempted to get her to come belowdecks to sleep, but she had refused. The tea had helped, but she needed the cool breeze above deck and the ability to see the horizon. Kalen had grabbed a couple of blankets and brought them to her. One was currently tucked beneath her head, the other wrapped around her chest and pulled to her armpits as she sat with her back to the rail and her knees to her chest. The ship rolled, and her face blanched.

  The captain approached. His hand lifted to point at a visible bump of land in the distance. “The island is there. I’ll give you two and a half hours, and then we are leaving. I can’t risk my crew turning on one another again.”

  “Do you want to stay?” Kalen asked Luna.

  “I’m going,” she mumbled.

  He bent at the waist to talk to her. “Maybe it’s best to remain on the ship than spend an hour in the tender.” There would be more waves and movement on the small boat, especially with what seemed like a storm brewing.

  “I am going.” She pushed herself up on unsteady feet. “I need land, even if it’s for a brief moment.”

  Kalen knew better than to argue, as there was no way he would win. She’d swim to shore before she’d allow him to say no.

  The prince joined them as they climbed into the tender, and Kalen began to row them in the direction the captain had pointed, directly opposite the sun. The captain refused to allow any of his crew to assist them, which meant Kalen would spend much of the allotted time getting them to and from the island.

  Luna lay across the bench, her eyes closed as she took shaky breaths.

  “I’m going to teach you some fundamental steps of Hakunan,” Cirrus told her. “It will help with the nausea. You’ll gain a better sense of balance and breathing.”

  One eye opened to glance at him, as if she doubted the sincerity of his words. After a few seconds, she nodded and closed her eye again. “Not yet, though.”

  “Obviously,” the prince said. “We need much more space. When we return to the ship, we will get started.”

  “And you”—she didn’t open her eyes, but Kalen knew she spoke to him—“seem to have forgotten to fill me in. Since we have some time to kill, why not get started? Why are we here, and where did this all start?”

  “I’ll tell you where it started.” Cirrus surprised them both by offering. Kalen sat silent while the prince told Luna about the memory of his sister. By the time he was done, she sat upright, slack jawed, her eyes open and her nausea forgotten.

  “You have got to be kidding me.”

  Kalen shook his head. “He’s not. I saw the memory.”

  Luna leaned in toward Cirrus. “You must be reeling.”

  “You have no idea.” Cirrus chewed on his lip.

  Luna lay down only to bolt upright again. “I think it’s better to sit.” She stared at the island. A small, brown bump when they’d first viewed it from the ship, it now sported trees and a cliffside. “I’m still confused how this all ties together. Why the trip to Antioege and free the captain?”

  “What I saw in Belrose’s memory was similar to the princess’s abilities, so it seemed the best starting point.”

  “And now the Law is involved.” Cirrus stared at the island.

  “Last night and the crowd?” Luna asked, and Kalen nodded. “Did you feel anything?”

  He nodded again. “A slight tug.”

  It wasn’t a surprise she had asked as Luna had an ability as well. She was a shield. Magick didn’t work on her. Kalen couldn’t enter her mind, which was probably another reason they were great friends.

  Cirrus heaved a dramatic sigh. “It looks like we might have a series of problems on our hands.” Leave it to him to point out the obvious.

  Kalen had been keeping a lookout for the small cove the captain had used when he’d landed on the island a few days prior. He finally recognized it from Belrose’s memory: the narrow strip of coastline and unexpected cluster of jicou trees signaling the trailhead beyond. He rowed them into the inlet.

  Luna launched herself over the side of the boat and rushed onshore. She bent over at the waist, gulping air. Her body swayed slightly, the residual effects of the ebb and flow of the water. “I’m not getting back on that boat. You can leave me here.”

  “With no food or shelter? I think you’d change your mind pretty quickly.” Kalen followed her overboard and pulled the bow of the boat forward. His boots dripped water to mix with the fine sand at his feet as he strained to keep the boat from being sucked out with the tide. Cirrus finally decided to help, and they wedged it farther onto the beach.

  Kalen knew their time was limited and began to walk through the hardened sand toward the group of trees. The wind had picked up and continued to pull on Kalen’s hair like some invisible sprite. Strands twisted free from Luna’s braids to fly around her face. The terrain turned rocky beneath their feet, first loose pebbles and then hardened stone. Bits of greenery pushed through the cracks in the rock, spines and tiny unfurled leaves stretching toward the cloud-filled sky.

  The path wound around the jicou trees and then sharply inclined. With the wind blowing straight down the hillside, Kalen had to bend over and strain for any forward movement.

  Cirrus suddenly spoke from behind them, words hard as if spoken through gritted teeth. “What did you say?”

  Kalen looked over his shoulder. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “Really? Because I’m pretty sure I heard you say my name.”

  The wind howled around them, and Cirrus rubbed at his eyes.

  Ignoring the prince, Kalen pressed forward, his course driven entirely by Belrose’s memory. The path flattened somewhat but began winding, first left and then right.

  “This is going to take too long.” Kalen dragged a hand through his hair, catching it between his fingers to stop the wind from tugging it. “Why isn’t the trail a bloody straight line?”

  “Because the slope would be too steep,” Luna said at his heels. “The switchbacks allow—”

  “I know!” Kalen shouted, interrupting her. He knew the purpose of the switchbacks—they just annoyed him was all.

  Silence fell as Kalen approached a fork in the path. He immediately veered off to the left, where the trail spread out onto a flat ridge that followed along a narrow canyon carved into the boulder beneath them. The clouds pressed on them like the gods wanted to bury their bodies in early graves. Kalen’s entire body felt weighted with dampness, with exhaustion, and with a sudden burden of anger.

  “Where is it?” he shouted again.

  “You’re a horrible guide.” Cirrus moved to pass him. “I’ll find it.”

  Kalen shoved at the prince’s shoulders with his gloved palms. “Stay back. You have no idea where you’re going.”

  “I’m positive I have a better idea than you.” Cirrus shoved harder, and Kalen found himself precariously close to the edge of the cliff.

  “Boys.” Luna suddenly stood between them, her small frame preventing them from touching each other without hurting her first. “What’s going on?”r />
  “Step back, Luna,” Kalen said.

  “Hey.” Luna grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked it tight so the material dug into the back of his neck. She maintained her grip until he looked at her. “You’re under the influence of the chest. Stop bickering and focus on finding it.”

  Kalen shook his head to clear the fog from his thoughts and then pulled away and looked around. Before Cirrus could start something again, Kalen walked quickly along the ledge, but now a few steps from its drop-off edge. No sense in encouraging the prince to shove him over.

  Several yards away, he spotted it. A pile of rocks, each one as big as his fist, colored light gray with darker spots. He grabbed one of the stones, but it slipped from his glove. He yanked the gloves off and tucked them into his pocket. With bare hands, he moved several rocks aside. He glanced behind him at Cirrus, who stood with his arms crossed, glowering at him.

  “Care to help?” Kalen asked.

  Cirrus lunged forward, grabbing at a rock. He held it over his head as if to use the force of it to shatter Kalen’s skull. Kalen skittered away, his palms digging into the pebbled pathway as he tried to get distance from the prince.

  “Enough.” Luna grabbed at Cirrus’s waist from behind and yanked. She unbalanced him enough that his grip loosened and he dropped the rock.

  “Luna, don’t!” Kalen feared Cirrus would attack her, but he just stared at her with teeth bared.

  “You’re being a nuisance,” she said to Cirrus. She lifted her arm and pointed back the way they’d just come. “Go wait for us at the trailhead.”

  Cirrus mumbled some obscenity and stormed away.

  Kalen took a deep breath to settle his thoughts and turned his focus to the rocks. He continued to shove them to the side, now with Luna’s help. Finally his fingers dug into the dirt. It was loose and gritty, easily moved as he scooped up handfuls and let it fall through his fingers to the side. Minutes later he had cleared away the top of the chest. He dug along the sides of the box until he could lift out the small container and place it on the ground. Swirled etchings traced their way over each side, marred only on one face, where a deep crack cut through the design, revealing some sort of metal lining severed along with the wood.

  A gust of wind swirled past. His teeth ground together and his jaw clenched as he ran his hands through his hair again.

  An intricate lock jutted from the side of the chest. He removed his tools and began to pick it. His lungs felt increasingly tight, and his breath grew shallowed. Lightning flashed farther north, over the sea, white against the somber clouds. Thunder erupted through the air seconds later, followed by a low rumbling sound.

  The lid popped open, and inside, nestled into a pillow filling the bottom half of the chest, sat a pendant, very similar to the one Ryndel had been holding back in Mureau. A clouded blue crystal was embedded into a bronze circle strung onto a simple chain. Kalen fought the wave of anger overtaking him. He wanted to throw something, hit something, but his brain knew that these emotions didn’t come from him. He closed his eyes and fought to focus on his surroundings. The feel of the damp air on his forehead, the sound of the wind howling through the canyon below.

  A scream built in his throat, but suddenly Luna wrenched the chest away.

  “We have to destroy it.” She grabbed the amulet out of the chest and laid it on the ground. Her hands reached out for a large rock, which she raised above the gem. “Step away. We have no idea what this will do when the magick is released.” Her mood had remained even, calm, unreactive to the jewel’s powers. She was the voice of reason in the chaos on the cliffside.

  Kalen shuffled a few steps back and wondered for a brief moment if the escaped magick could shift into something new when freed. He assumed Luna would still be immune, but perhaps the magick would absorb elsewhere. There was only one way to find out. Luna brought the rock down hard on the jewel. A large crack split open the face, and a tendril of black drifted forth. It dispersed into the clouds, pulled up and away with the next gust of wind.

  The pressure lifted from Kalen’s sternum. He could breathe. Anger no longer flooded his mind.

  Luna lifted the cracked jewel and moved as if to put it into her pocket, but Kalen stopped her. “Belrose won’t want it on the ship. It’s best to bury it again.” He held out his palm, faceup, and she dropped the jewel in his hand. The stone felt cool against his bare palm and fingers as he curled them around it. He paced over to the box and laid it inside before closing the small chest and returning it to the hole. His fingers scooped the damp dirt over the chest, and he moved the rocks to cover it again. He finally rose to a stand and brushed the dirt off his hands onto his pants. The wind swept over the cliff’s edge, and he reached for his gloves and pulled the supple leather over his fingers.

  With one last glance over his shoulder, Kalen made his way to the trail. Luna fell into step beside him. They reached the trailhead, but there was no sign of Cirrus. They proceeded down the hillside and onto the beach. Cirrus stood motionless at the bottom, his feet pointed toward the sea, his eyes bloodshot.

  He glanced at Kalen. “I’m sorry.”

  Kalen shrugged. “It wasn’t all you.”

  “I hate how susceptible I am to the magick.” His hand rubbed at his throat, as if remembering what his infant sister had been able to do.

  Luna sighed as she stared out at the frothing waves. “You teach me Hakunan, and I’ll see if I can teach you how to lessen the impact of magick.”

  Kalen glanced at her. “You can do that?”

  “I doubt it. But who knows. Nothing seems impossible anymore.”

  Kalen urged her toward the tender, but she didn’t budge.

  “I don’t want to go back on the water,” she said.

  “I know, but we have to return.” He threw an arm around her shoulders and nudged her forward through the sand. They edged up to the boat, and Luna pulled a biscuit from her pocket. She picked at the stale crust as she settled on the bench, and Cirrus climbed in behind her. The tide swelled beneath the boat. Kalen propelled the tender toward the sea before lifting himself in and grabbing the oars. Cirrus reached out a hand and took one.

  “Let’s get away from here,” he said.

  Kalen’s teeth started to chatter while a cold sweat erupted down his spine from the exertion of rowing. He clenched his jaw and dug into the water harder and faster. The ship was in their sights, but the sea was determined to keep them off track. Wave after wave pushed them back, and they had to shift their direction to row at an angle almost parallel to the vessel. Kalen hoped the captain was keeping an eye on them and could see they were making an effort to return. It took nearly twice the time to return to the ship as it had to row to the island. Kalen’s shoulders burned, and the skin on his hands would have rubbed raw save for the gloves protecting them.

  After they climbed on board and Belrose directed his crew to weigh anchor, Kalen and Cirrus collapsed against the rail and breathed heavily, while Luna turned into a puddle on the deck. Belrose looked both troubled and relieved to see them.

  “Did you locate it?” He looked at their hands like he expected one of them to be clutching it.

  “We destroyed the contents,” Kalen said. “Actually, Luna did. We left everything there, figuring it wouldn’t serve to even chance negatively impacting the crew.”

  His tone must have been emphatic enough, as the captain only nodded and said, “Where to next?”

  “Antioege.” Kalen peered off into the distance. He hoped the princess would be there, or that at the very least they would find a clue to her whereabouts.

  “Antioege it is.” Belrose turned to his first mate. Within minutes the sails had unfurled, and they were on the move.

  Cirrus joined Kalen as they faced into the wind. Luna stood and swayed next to them.

  “Do you think we’ll find her?” Cirrus asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  More than that, Kalen wasn’t sure exactly what they would find if they did.
r />   CHAPTER

  9

  Luna finally perfected a mixture of herbs that eased her nausea and returned a bit of color to her face. Once she had kept down a few stale crackers, Cirrus grabbed a mop handle and used it as a staff as he began walking her through the foundations of Hakunan: breath, balance, and focus.

  She stood with both feet planted on the deck, the staff held horizontally in her hands.

  “Initially we will use the staff as a way to keep your balance. Sort of like a tightrope walker.” The boat swelled, and Luna hardly moved other than to angle the staff to the left. “See, you can use it as a tool instead of exhausting your body with movements. The staff doesn’t always have to be a weapon.”

  Cirrus had her close her eyes and focus on her senses before they moved into breath work, deep inhales to fill the stomach.

  As the sun started to set, the mist turned into a drizzle, moisture working its way along Kalen’s collar and down his back. He wandered into the captain’s quarters under the pretense of asking how much longer the trip might take, but also in the hopes of staying dry.

  The captain waved Kalen over to join him at his desk. Maps papered the surface. Belrose pointed just offshore of Mureau, which was situated on the coast of the country of Sandrasia, halfway between its northern and southern borders. The kingdom of Ehren was to the north. It was a small kingdom with only a few named cities. Antioege was the farthest south, a peninsula jutting out from the mainland.

  Belrose traced a line from their current location at sea to the city of Antioege. “Two days more.”

  North of Antioege was another city, Leon, on the edge of the border with the kingdom of Artenglia, and to the east, deep in the mountains, sat the city of Servaille. Two other kingdoms, one to the south of Sandrasia, and a narrow one to the east that ran the entire length of the shore, made up the whole of the continent of Topia. The kingdoms shared a universal language and currency, as well as a united goal of peace. There were rare skirmishes and battles along the borders, but it had been over one hundred years since war had been declared, between or within kingdoms.